


First Time For Everything

by cassie_black



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Blind Date, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-07
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2019-02-18 06:39:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13094538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cassie_black/pseuds/cassie_black
Summary: After one unsuitable girl too many, Morgana turns her match-making ways to Arthur's love life.





	First Time For Everything

**Author's Note:**

  * For [indyonblue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/indyonblue/gifts).



"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Merlin glared at Morgana whilst hiding his flushed face behind the easel.

Morgana's perpetually red lips curved into a smirk. "You should be thanking me," she said. "The way you tell it, this," she nodded at the now-disrobed model, "is the closest you've come to a sex life in some time."

"Hey!" Merlin's cheeks heated up even more. "That was a drunken confession. One you tricked out of me, I might add. You can't use that against me."

Morgana's smirk only widened at that, and she looked entirely too proud of herself for Merlin's liking. "Buying you a couple of pints hardly qualifies as _tricked_ , Merlin. You really should work on building up your tolerance."

For want of a better reply, Merlin poked out his tongue at her and then turned his attention back to their tutor. Then remembered very quickly why he'd been hiding his face in the first place. "I hate you," he muttered, trying his best to focus on the model's face and not his rather toned and definitely naked body.

"Of course you do," Morgana agreed. "I'm sure you wish I'd left you in that delightful flower arranging class I found you in."

Merlin just huffed and picked up his charcoal. This was going to be a disaster. Why Morgana had insisted on an art class when they had zero artistic talent between them was…well, actually it was pretty obvious now, but still…

It had only been five months since Morgana had found him in the aforementioned floristry class. What she had been doing there Merlin was still unclear on, but it had been Freya's suggestion for Merlin to attend – something for him to do as part of his 'try something new every month' resolution. Once Morgana had found out about this, she'd run with it. Dragging Merlin to a succession of increasingly bizarre events, culminating in that evening's horror.

The problem was that he was completely incapable of saying no to her. She was a whirlwind and Merlin was regularly swept along in her wake. And they usually did have fun, he had to admit, reluctantly. But an evening spent with a naked man several feet away, was not what Merlin had had in mind when Morgana had suggested they try an art class – clearly he'd not been paying attention when she'd brought it up.

"Still life drawing, you said," he hissed. "I was expecting bowls of fruit, not this…" He gestured at the admittedly attractive naked man, just a few feet away.

Morgana's smirk returned. "Well," she said, and peered at Merlin's paper, "that looks like a banana. And those," she tapped one blood red nail on the surface, "look like a lovely pair of plums."

The snort Merlin let out drew him several disapproving tares and he scowled at his friend. "You'll get us thrown out."

"We can't have that," she said, returning her attention to her own efforts. "I need the distraction this evening. Arthur's driving me crazy again."

Merlin's ears pricked up at that – throughout their short acquaintance, Morgana had regaled him with numerous entertaining stories of her brother's antics." "What's he done now?"

Morgana didn't reply for a moment, her face a picture of concentration as she scraped charcoal across her paper -- it looked like no part of the male anatomy that Merlin was familiar with. He knew better than to point this out, though.

"What's he done now?" Merlin repeated.

"He brought that dreadful tart Sophia home with him last night."

Merlin was already familiar with the crazy that was Arthur's 'friend with benefits,' so he made an appropriately sympathetic noise and gestured to her to continue – anything to distract him from the unintentionally surrealist image emerging on his own paper.

"When I got up this morning, she was still there," Morgana continued. "She was wearing _my_ dressing gown."

"That bitch," Merlin said, and tried hard not to smile.

"It's not funny, Merlin." Morgana reached out and smudged grey fingers on his cheek. "If I'm not careful he's actually going to start dating her."

"You said he thought she was crazy, though."

"He's a man," Morgana replied. "The only he thinks is with his dick."

"Hey!" Merlin's protest drew yet more glares in their direction.

"I just need to find him someone normal." Morgana ignored the interruption.

"I thought you were banned from setting him up anymore? After that last woman turned out to be in a cult."

"One mistake." Morgana shrugged dismissively.

Judging from recent stories, it was a good few more than just one, Merlin thought, but wisely held his tongue.

"He's not been serious about anyone since Gwen." There was a familiar curl of Morgana's lips at the mention of that name.

"You can see how that would make him wary of relationships, though," Merlin pointed out – ever the voice of reason in their friendship.

"It's been two years. It's time for him to climb back on the horse."

"I thought that's what he was doing with Sophia last night?"

""They're just fucking. For now." Morgana paused here and turned a speculative look onto Merlin. "You're single." It wasn't a question.

"Thanks for the reminder." Merlin grimaced and tried to ignore their neighbour who was, by now, shamelessly eavesdropping their conversation.

Morgana continued to look at him thoughtfully. "He should date you," she said decidedly, as if it were a fait accompli.

 

"I'm a man," Merlin said slowly. "You do know I have one of these, don't you?" He pointed to the anatomically impossible penis on her drawing.

Morgana didn't call him an idiot but her expression spoke volumes. "Arthur's bi. He has no problem with cock – especially if it looks like that."

Before Merlin had a chance to process that she had just outed her brother as a size queen, the tutor had made his way over. And by the time he had given a painfully polite assessment of their efforts, the subject appeared to have been dropped – much to Merlin's relief.

Foolishly Merlin believed that was an end to it.

That was his first mistake.

Actually his first mistake had been introducing Morgana to his friends. Gwaine, in particular. Because when the subject came up later in the pub, there was rousing support for the idea from the people who were supposed to have his back.

"You've never been on a blind date before," Freya had helpfully pointed out. "It could be your new thing to do."

"He's hot," Elena contributed, face glued to Morgana's phone as she all but pimped her brother out.

"I'd do him." This last was Gwaine, of course.

"You're straight," Merlin pointed out helpfully.

Gwaine just shrugged. "He's good looking, and rich." And after a gulp of his beer, he grinned widely. "Plus, his sister looks like that." The look he gave Morgana made Merlin crave a shower.

"It's settled then," Morgana said smugly, as they clinked glasses. "I'll text you the details."

"I didn't actually say yes," Merlin pointed out.

At which point Elena passed over the phone – it showed a picture of Arthur's with his shirt off. Merlin liked to think he was about more than shallow physical attraction, but he was also only human. "Okay, I'll do it," he said, before discreetly forwarding the picture to his own phone.

~~o0o~~

"Where are you?"

"I'm about five minutes further down the road than I was last time you asked."

"You're going to be late."

"Then stop calling me."

Morgana huffed audibly. "Hurry up, Merlin. Arthur will hate it if you're late."

"Well, he needs to learn some patience then." Merlin hated when people were late too, but Morgana's tone had him on the defensive.

"He'll think you've stood him up," she said, tone soft. "Gwen used to do it, towards the end."

Merlin's indignation died a sudden death. "Oh, okay. Look, I'll get there as quickly as I can. But, Morgana, you really need to stop calling."

"I'm just concerned."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're overly invested in your brother's love life?"

"No," she replied flatly, and her tone implied _and you'd better not think about doing it, either._

"I'll talk to you later. Bye," Merlin finished firmly.

"Okay, okay, I'm going. Just don't be late." There was almost a plea in her voice so Merlin didn't argue.

With Morgana's words in his ears, Merlin hurried the rest of the way. Fortunately he arrived bang on 8 o'clock. Arthur was already seated when the host showed him over. He looked even more stunning in person, but also a little uncertain.

"Hi." Merlin was a little breathless – he'd run the last few hundred metres, and apparently his fitness levels weren't what they had been.

Arthur stood up and held his hand out formally. "Arthur Pendragon," he said, like they were setting up for a business meeting.

Merlin just went with it. "Merlin Emrys," he said, and relished the feeling of warm, soft fingers against his skin.

"I thought you'd changed your mind," Arthur said stiffly as they sat down.

Merlin prickled slightly at his tone, but remembered Morgana's words just in time. "No, sorry about that. I got caught up on my phone."

"Morgana? Arthur asked with a smile, one that told Merlin the minutes between her calls to him had been spent harassing Arthur. He couldn't help but wonder what she'd said about him.

"Yeah." He gave a shaky laugh. "You know how she gets."

"Indeed." Arthur clasped his hands on the table in front of him, and the conversation lapsed into an awkward silence. 

Merlin wracked his brains desperately for something to say, but Arthur beat him to it. "I don't usually do this," he said.

"Me either," Merlin agreed, and doesn’t point out that he knows otherwise thanks to Morgana's gossip habit. "In fact, this is my first ever blind date."

Arthur frowned. "Oh, no, I didn't mean that. Well, not exactly."

When there was no sign of him continuing, Merlin prodded. "What did you mean then?"

"Men."

Merlin tried to choke down a brief panic. "Morgana said you were bi."

"Yes, I am," Arthur replied, much to Merlin's relief. "I've just never dated men, you know?"

"Not really. I'm gay, so that would rather limit my options."

Arthur laughed, noticeably uncomfortable. "Yes, I imagine it would. I just meant that I never really considered men as relationship potential. I've…well, you know…been with men before, but never actually dated them."

That was a lot of information to process in the first few minutes of their acquaintance, so Merlin settled for asking the obvious. "Why not?"

"I don't know." Arthur paused and a light flush coloured his cheeks. "I suppose it was…I know men, you know? They're usually mainly after one thing, whereas women are more interested in relationships. Plus it's easier to do the whole marriage and kids thing with a woman."

"I'll take your word for it," Merlin replied stiltedly. "It's a choice I don't have."

"I didn't mean to offend you," Arthur replied, obviously picking up on the tension. He ran one hand distractedly through his hair. "Fuck, I'm really not explaining myself well."

"Oh, I think you've been very clear." For the life of him Merlin could not keep the acid out of his tone. Only the waiter appeared then, before either of them could continue. However, by the time he left, Arthur was still not ready to let it go.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I really didn't mean to offend you. I just wanted to be honest."

Merlin nodded reluctantly. "Okay. Maybe we should start over. Though, for the record, some men do want relationships, and some women like to fuck around. We're not tied by our gender."

Arthur gave a nod, gaze downcast. He took a drink of water before meeting Merlin's gaze again. "So what about you?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you one of the men looking for a relationship?" Arthur clarified.

"Would I be here if I wasn't?" Merlin quirked one brow in question.

"I don't know, honestly." Arthur shrugged. "I thought maybe Morgana had bullied you into it."

Merlin let out a genuine laugh at this. "Yes, there's that. But I really would like a relationship, if the right person comes along." He couldn't help but feel almost naked, admitting so much to a virtual stranger.

Arthur looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, before adding a soft, "Me too."

The conversation flowed better once they'd cleared the air and the food had arrived. Arthur got his own back by sharing any number of embarrassing Morgana stories – Merlin would have ammunition for years to come. Once relaxed, Arthur was like a different person, and Merlin was able to glimpse the person Morgana spoke of so fondly.

"I'm glad I came," Arthur said, as their plates were cleared. "I normally hate blind dates, especially with people Morgana chooses."

Merlin smiled. "Don't worry, I promise I haven't joined any cults recently."

Arthur's head tipped back as he laughed, and Merlin drank in the lines of his throat. "I have no secrets with you, do I?"

"Oh, I'm sure there are a few." Merlin took a deep breath then and gathered his courage. "But I'd like the chance to find them out," he added, and reached tentatively across the table, touching his fingers to Arthur's.

Arthur's gaze dropped to their hands and the silence dragged unbearably for Merlin. Finally, when Arthur looked up again, he was wearing the smile that had persuaded Merlin to say yes in the first place.

"I'd like that, too." He still sounded a little uncertain, but there was determination in his tone, and Merlin was determined he could work with that, so he returned the smile.

"Good."

~~o0o~~

"So, how was it?"

"Why don't you knock on Arthur's door and you can ask me in person?"

There was a loud crash the other end of the line that told Merlin the phone had been dropped.

"Merlin, you fucker! You nearly gave me a heart attack." Morgana paused for a moment before adding, "You aren't really in there are you?"

"Don't worry; your dressing gown is safe."

Morgana snorted in amusement. "It's not your colour anyway. So, how was it? I know Arthur got back late."

Merlin struggled to sit up in bed without dropping his phone – Morgana clearly wasn't going away any time soon. "It was fine."

"Fine? What the fuck kind of answer is that?"

"Do you always swear this much in the morning?"

"Only on days with a y in them, now stop stalling. I want details."

"Morgana." Merlin sighed and rubbed on hand tiredly over his face.

Her eye roll was practically audible down the phone. "I'm interested in your wellbeing. What's wrong with that?"

"You're interested in your brother's love life. Don't you think that's a bit weird?"

"Love life?" Morgana ignored the rest. "So it did go well then?"

"You're like a dog with a bone."

"Merlin." The tone was a little steely this time.

"It went well, okay?" Merlin relented. "I had a nice time."

"What about Arthur?" Morgana persisted.

"You'd have to ask him about that."

"Must you be so difficult?"

"I'm not being difficult, I'm just not sure I should be discussing this with you. I told you, it's weird."

"You wouldn't even have had a date if it wasn't for me." Morgana pointed out.

"I know, and I appreciate it. But how is Arthur going to feel if I run gossiping to you about things?"

"So you're saying that there is something to gossip about."

Merlin laughed. She really was relentless. "Maybe."

"Will you just give me something to work with here?"

"We had a good time, okay? It was a bit awkward at first, but it worked out in the end." And it really had, Merlin thought, remembering the hug as they'd parted ways.

"So are you seeing him again?" Morgana pressed.

Merlin thought about the text on his phone that Arthur had sent already, and smiled. "Yes," he said softly. "I think so."

~~o0o~~

There was another date the very next weekend. A vegan restaurant this time – Merlin's choice – and the way Arthur had valiantly chewed his tofu lasagne had given Merlin a warm, squashy feeling in his belly – one that felt a little bit like hope and a lot like affection.

There was something about Arthur's boyish smile that just swept away all Merlin's defences.

As they'd left the restaurant, headed for the tube, Arthur had backed Merlin gently against the wall and kissed him so carefully that Merlin felt like he might cry. His hands had fisted in Arthur's shirt, tugging him in close, just in case he thought about pulling away. When Arthur had suggested he come home with him, Merlin refused, only long enough to suggest his flat instead. Gwaine in the next room was marginally preferable to Morgana.

And when he woke up the next morning, Arthur's naked body a warm weight against his side, the smile he gave threatened to split his face.

"What are you grinning about?" Arthur nosed his way along Merlin's jaw, following up with a brush of lips.

Merlin rolled over to face him fully, and kissed him hard – morning breath be damned. "I was just thinking I should probably get Morgana some flowers."

Arthur's hand stilled on its path down Merlin's belly. "Okay, can you not bring up my sister when we're in bed together?"

Merlin just grinned, and then wriggled to get Arthur's hand moving again.

It didn't happen though, because Arthur's phone began vibrating on the night table. "That's your fault," Arthur muttered, but made no effort to move. "Look what happens when you say her name – it's like you've summoned her."

"She's not Voldemort," Merlin replied, already mourning the loss of his imminent hand job.

"Says you." Arthur rolled over until he was braced over Merlin. The phone finally stopped buzzing. He leant down and nipped at Merlin's lips.

Merlin's phone began to ring.

Arthur flopped down on top of Merlin and huffed loudly.

"Just ignore it." Merlin was far more interested in resuming their earlier activities.

"She won't go away," Arthur replied, his hot breath causing goose bumps on Merlin's skin.

Merlin sighed and snatched up his phone. He clicked answer, but before he could speak, Morgana's voice was loud in his ear.

"Where's Arthur."

"Good morning to you, too, Morgana."

"Arthur didn't come home last night."

"Arthur's a big boy," Merlin said – he could feel just how big against his hip. "I'm sure he's fine."

"Merlin! Stop fucking around and just—"

"I'm sorry, Morgana. Merlin can't speak right now. His mouth is needed for much more important matters." With that, Arthur ended the call and dropped Merlin's phone over the side of the mattress.

"That should do it," he said, expression smug.

Merlin lay there, open-mouthed, for a moment. "What did you do?" he asked finally. "She'll be even worse now."

"Nah, she'll be sufficiently traumatised by that long enough for us to finish."

"Finish?" Merlin asked, one brow raised in query.

"Yes." Arthur kissed his way up Merlin's neck. "Finish. After all, I am the new thing you're doing this month, right?

~~o0o~~


End file.
